“Ishan is the only option that we have” - Rohit Sharma confirms opening combination for 1st ODI vs West Indies
Team India’s white-ball captain Rohit Sharma has confirmed that Ishan Kishan will open the batting in the 1st ODI against West Indies on Sunday in Ahmedabad. The experienced batter stated that Mayank Agarwal is in quarantine and hence isn’t available for selection for the opening match.
Ishan and Agarwal were added to India’s ODI squad after Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shreyas Iyer, among others, tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the West Indies series.
Speaking at a virtual press conference ahead of Sunday’s match, Rohit explained:
“Ishan is the only option that we have and he will open. Mayank was added in the squad but he is still in isolation because he came late. We have some rules in place where if a player is traveling and coming we have to put them into quarantine. He has still not finished his quarantine, so Ishan will open the innings tomorrow.”
The 34-year-old asserted that, keeping aside the loss in South Africa, India have done well in one-dayers over the last few years. He, however, agreed that if changes need to be made in their approach, the same will be done. Rohit elaborated:
“My thoughts are very straightforward. This is the only series (South Africa) that we have lost in the last few years that we have played, and in New Zealand as well. But our ODI (win) percentage in the last 3-4 years has been 70-plus if I am not wrong. If there is a change that we need to make in terms of how we approach the game, we have to do it. It is as simple as that. We have spoken to individuals about it.”
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The skipper added that Team India need to build their own template and not copy others. He continued:
“Other teams are different, their approach is different. I am open to have a change in approach. For us, what is important is to keep things simple and straightforward. There are certain moments of the game that we need to seize. Over the next few months, we are going to try and do things slightly differently. If it works, it works otherwise we always have our Plan B.”
With Rohit unavailable due to injury, India were thumped 0-3 in the ODI series in South Africa under stand-in skipper KL Rahul.
“Need to have more backups ready for that position” - Rohit Sharma on finisher’s role
India have been struggling in the finishing departments since MS Dhoni’s retirement from international cricket. Admitting that the position is an extremely important one, Rohit said:
A finisher’s role is very important because that is a very crucial time in a match. After MS Dhoni’s retirement, we haven’t been able to find a player in that role. Hardik has batted at that number, Jadeja too. But we need to have more backups ready for that position.”
Captain 𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐍 reporting! 💙
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He is hopeful of players grabbing their opportunity in the upcoming matches. The skipper added:
“I hope the players who get an opportunity during this series utilize the chance and strengthen their case. A finisher can turnaround a match, so it’s important to have someone good, who can bat with confidence.”
Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer struggled with the bat in South Africa while Suryakumar Yadav got only one game in which he scored 39.